Horticulture congratulates Government on CoOL law

28 Nov 2018

Horticulture New Zealand congratulates the Government on passing the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill into law.

“Getting mandatory Country of Origin Labelling, or CoOL, for fruit and vegetables has been something growers have been asking for from successive governments for over 10 years,” Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman says. “Once this Bill comes into law, consumers get to choose what to buy with full knowledge or where their fruit and vegetables come from.

“We commend the work done by the Green Party over that time and that they didn’t give up on this important law. Sue Kedgley started the journey when her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot in 2006. Steffan Browning took up the mantle and now Gareth Hughes has secured the numbers needed to make this law. This is a good day for horticulture.

“Our research showed that more than 70 percent of New Zealanders want mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) for fruit and vegetables, so it is great to see them finally getting what they want.”